Noxious weed spray planned

On Saturday, July 19 the Friends of the Metolius (FOM), led by Vice President Pete Schay, will hold a public meeting about the planned spraying of yellow flag iris, a state reported noxious weed. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Camp Sherman Community Hall.

Schay said in a letter he sent out to landowners, "If you are reading this letter and you have Lake Creek waters on your property, you probably have yellow flag iris."

Schay attended a meeting in 2004 where a woman challenged, "Do it now, or surrender. It will take over. It only gets worse." Faced with that challenge, Schay decided to take action.

FOM, largely through Schay's efforts, has secured a $6,300 grant to spray yellow flag iris. It is funded by the Oregon Department of Agriculture through the Oregon State Weed Board. The target area is along the Lake Creek system. FOM is hoping to inform landowners and gain their cooperation.

Four agencies have partnered in this project, and a representative from each will be at the meeting.

Dave Langlund, of ODA, explained that the purpose of the grant is to get the yellow flag under control. Eradication is simply not possible.

Pulling is both time consuming and does not do an adequate job compared to spraying. Pulling also puts a lot of sediment into the stream, which hurts the fish and spawning. They tried covering the soil with black plastic, which kills everything, and the soil itself is harmed when beneficial bacteria are killed. Herbicides kill the target species. Recommended herbicides are Rodeo and Habitat, which have been FDA approved for riparian use.

Nurseries are still selling yellow flag and ribbon grass. Yellow flag is a state-listed noxious weed, and ribbon grass soon will be. Technically, it is illegal for the nurseries to sell yellow flag, and the nursery can be quarantined or the plants confiscated if they are found to be for sale.

Steve Davis, Director of Public Works in Jefferson County, will do the herbicide treatment in the fall when the plants go to seed. It is also when the plant is getting ready to shut down for the winter, and all the plant's resources go into the root system.

No spraying is being done on the Metolius River, as it is primarily Forest Service land. The Forest Service is working on a new environmental assessment that is still in progress.

Part of the Camp Sherman area was treated last year, and Davis will bring before and after pictures and discuss the results of that treatment.